I went to two local hardware stores and guess what's gone out of fashion? The plain ol' plunger you keep in the bathroom. There are all kinds of modern fancy ones, and something called a "human plunger" which I don't even want to think too much about ....

Now, I'm not too worried about this because Amazon is my friend, but this is a branch-off from another thread, where we talked about plungers a lot.

Right now I have two plastic bowls and a wooden(!) bowl I'm going to make into plunger mutes by drilling holes in the middle and installing some cabinet knobs I just got. I plan to try at least one metal bowl too.

Has anyone else experimented in search of that ultimate wah-wah sound? Maybe picked up someone's Tupperware bowl, with a bit of potato salad clinging to it, and wah-wah'd the night away at a family or church party?_________________Yamaha 200AD trumpet w/Blessing 3C
Yamaha cornet w/Blessing 3C

I've seen Shaye Cohn with Tuba Skinny use a canning funnel for a plunger mute. You find them in the hardware store by the boxes of mason jars. They are made of plastic or metal. I'll describe it as a rounded funnel with large hole in the center, made to fit a mason jar. Despite a large hole, the funnel still creates a good plunger sound effect. It also has a ring on the outside that makes it easy to hold.

I sometimes see the smaller plunger (made for sinks) in blue plastic in hardware stores. These work fine but not with a pixie mute.

I checked a Mexican market today and ... no plungers. I'm gonna keep checking various markets and stores though, for various things to experiment with.

The thing is, there are no Ace Hardware stores near me; it's a special mission to go to one. I'm hoping I can find one in a mom'n'pop place but frankly, I'm really glad I got Amazon Prime. Because I do want at least one traditional rubber plunger to compare my experimental ones with.

I just tried the nearby Amazon Locker, and it's trivially easy to use.

I got a sink plunger from Home Depot for about $3. I punched a small hole through the center so it wouldn't make my pitch go quite so sharp as I tilt the plunger closer to the bell. Works fine._________________Bb Yamaha Xeno 8335IIS
Cornet Getzen Custom 3850S
Flugelhorn Courtois 155R
Piccolo Stomvi

I got a sink plunger from Home Depot for about $3. I punched a small hole through the center so it wouldn't make my pitch go quite so sharp as I tilt the plunger closer to the bell. Works fine.

I got mine from the 99 cent store. Too big a diameter for my cornet. But hey, who can argue about the price. My favorite plunger is still a metal one. Got that with a cornet I bought off Ebay._________________Richard

For Sale: Cornets: Conn 80A, King Long Cornet Silvertone, King Cleveland Superior.

I have taken notice that there are a few options when purchasing a plunger that is specifically for trumpet players. Noting that some find hardware purchases that don't work as well as others, I decided to purchase a plunger that was designed for the purpose.

I found Mutec Mht160, Humes and Berg Stonelined (red and white stripes), a couple of Harmon models, and the Jo-Ral TPT-6 Aluminum. The Mutec looks the most conventional as a plunger. Are there preferences for one or more models, or am I over thinking this?

You're overthinking and under analyzing. Every instrument has different needs as do players. You have to experiment to find the sound you are looking for. For instance, one of my horns likes a metal plunger and sounds dead with the rubber one. Another horn just the reverse._________________Richard

For Sale: Cornets: Conn 80A, King Long Cornet Silvertone, King Cleveland Superior.